Posts Categorized: Health & Medicine

Comedian Joan Rivers is reportedly in a medically-induced coma to relieve swelling in her brain after she stopped breathing during a routine endoscopy procedure at an outpatient clinic in NY yesterday.

Rivers, 81, was reportedly undergoing a non-surgical endoscopic procedure at Yorkville Endoscopy clinic when she experienced respiratory and cardiac arrest as a result of a lack of oxygen to her brain.

CNN's chief medical reporter Dr. Sanjay Gupta interrogated the director of the CDC for bringing two American health care workers who have been infected with Ebola to Emory Hospital in Atlanta.

Dr. Gupta asked CDC Director Dr. Thomas Frieden if it was medically reasonable to evacuate the health care workers from Liberia to the U.S., especially in light of the anthrax lab accidents at the CDC last month.

"You're knowingly bringing Ebola into the United States -- a virus that has not been here," said Dr. Gupta.

There was a run on grocery stores last night as word spread that an Ebola patient was being flown from Liberia to Emory Hospital in Atlanta for treatment. Atlantans stocked up on the basic staples: water, milk and bread as concern grew to panic.

Singer Usher Raymond says the past 12 months have been the hardest for him. The 34-year-old crooner recently lost his grandmother, and one of his sons was diagnosed with juvenile diabetes.

Usher revealed his son's diagnosis during an appearance on the "TODAY Show" this week. The singer didn't reveal which of his sons is diabetic. He has two sons -- Usher Raymond V, 6, and Naviyd David, 5, -- with ex-wife Tameka Raymond.

UK hospitals are on "high alert" over fears that the deadly Ebola virus could arrive on British shores.

The Ebola virus that causes hemorrhagic fever is highly contagious. 5 new infections have been diagnosed in Guinea in the past 24 hours, bringing the total number of new infections to 127, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).

WHO confirms Ebola has killed 80 people in Guinea. Ebola is classified as the "world's deadliest virus", with a mortality rate of 90 percent.

There is no cure or treatment for Ebola.

Once the onset of symptoms appear, death comes quickly. For this reason, health officials say it is unlikely the virus could reach Great Britain from western Africa.

New photos posted on social media by Whitney Houston's daughter, Bobbi Kristina, suggests she may be suffering from Anorexia Nervosa, an eating disorder characterized by a starvation diet and low self-esteem.

Bobbi Kristina's attention-seeking behavior is indicative of youngsters who didn't develop strong bonds with their parents or primary caregivers. Bobbi's mom, Whitney, and her dad, singer Bobby Brown, had busy careers that kept them on the road for long periods of time.

People who suffer from Anorexia have an irrational fear that they are gaining too much weight. They obsess about staying thin due to an altered body image disturbance or the perception that they are too fat.

Anorexia Nervosa usually begins in adolescence and affects more girls than boys.

Yesterday, news broke that Attorney General of the U.S. Eric Holder suffered chest pains, palpitations (rapid heartbeat) and shortness of breath during a Justice Dept. meeting. My initial thought was that Holder suffered a panic attack. Especially after it was revealed that doctors gave him medication to "return his heartbeat to normal" then discharged him. If his condition was all that serious he would have been hospitalized, if only to monitor him overnight.

Of course, at 63, he could also be diagnosed with any number of heart ailments such as Ischemic Cardiomyopathy, Coronary Artery Disease, Angina, Congestive Heart failure, mild heart attack, etc. But based on his symptoms -- and the fact that hundreds of black pastors are calling for his impeachment -- I think he suffered a panic attack.

Doctors in California are baffled by a mysterious illness that mimics the dreaded Polio virus. Polio paralyzed thousands of children and adults worldwide until it was eradicated in 1979.

The new polio-like illness has infected up to 25 children in California so far, CBS News reports. The new illness causes flu-like symptoms and muscle wasting, severe weakness or paralysis in the arms and legs, a new case study reports.

Boosted by celebrity endorsements by such stars as Oprah Winfrey and Gywneth Paltrow, Spanx has revolutionized the women's undergarment industry. But doctors are now sounding alarms about potential health risks faced by consumers when they wear the restrictive garments.

Doctors warn that the Spanx garments can squeeze internal organs and cause circulation problems that could potentially be fatal.

“It’s like putting these giant rubber bands around your upper thighs and tightening them when you sit,” chiropractor Dr. Karen Erickson told the Huffington Post.